ACO Water Management: Urban + Landscape
The new planning regulations and your drive
ACO Build
ACO Technologies plc
Glossary
Attenuation:
storing surface water so that it doesn’t
flow straight into the drainage system,
but is retained and released later at a
controlled rate.
ACO Water Management
Civils + Infrastructure
Urban + Landscape
ACO Building Drainage
ACO Technic
Infiltration:
ACO Sport
using a storage tank with a porous wall
so that the water is released into the
immediately surrounding ground.
ACO Wildlife
The new planning regulations
and your drive
Why all the fuss?
In urban areas rainfall (known as
surface water) normally runs off
driveways and into the sewage
system. This can also transfer
pollutants (oil, tyre residues and the
like) into watercourses.
Normally the sewage system can cope
with the extra water but because of its
age it wasn’t generally designed to do
this. When heavy rainfall and storms
occur the system can be overloaded
and back up, with predictable,
unpleasant, and potentially expensive
Permeable:
allows liquids to pass through.
Porous:
similar to permeable, allows liquids to
pass through.
consequences. We’ve all seen the
effects of devastating floods in the UK
in recent years.
Overloaded drainage systems cause
twice as much flooding as overflowing
rivers.
Historically, as a home owner you
didn’t need planning permission to
modify your front garden, by for
example paving over it to provide
hardstanding for a car.
Rain Garden:
a planted area, sunken to some
degree, intended to store run-off from
an impermeable area and release it by
a combination of evaporation and
soaking away.
Soakaway:
Useful Links
a simple hole in the ground that collects
and stores water, and releases it into the
surrounding ground.
Government Planning Portal for professionals
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/
ACO Water Management: Urban + Landscape
Government Planning Portal for householders
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115311947777.html
A division of ACO Technologies plc
ACO Business Park,
Hitchin Road, Shefford,
Bedfordshire SG17 5TE
Tel:
Fax:
e-mail Sales: [email protected]
e-mail Technical: [email protected]
LOAD CLASSES AND TYPICAL USES ACCORDING TO BS EN 1433:2002
A 15
Pedestrians, cycleways and
domestic drives
B 125
Pedestrian precincts, light vehicles,
private drives and car parks
01462 816666
01462 815895
C 250
Public parking areas, service
stations (cars) and slow-moving
light commercial vehicles
E 600
Industrial areas, heavy wheel loads,
slow-moving HGV’s and forklifts,
service stations
D 400
Public highways, parking areas for all
types of vehicles, distribution yards
F 900
Airport runways, very heavy industrial
and military installations, service
yards and lorry parks
website: www.aco.co.uk
What Can You Do?
New planning regulations introduced in
October 2008 mean that homeowners
in England no longer have an
automatic permitted development
right to do whatever they want with
their front drive.
The ACO Group: A strong family you can depend on.
© October 2009 ACO Technologies plc. All reasonable care has been taken in compiling the information in this
document. All recommendations and suggestions on the use of ACO products are made without guarantee since the
conditions of use are beyond the control of the Company. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that each
product is fit for its intended purpose, and that the actual conditions of use are suitable. This brochure and any
advice is provided by ACO Technologies plc (the Company) free of charge and accordingly on terms that no liability
including liability for negligence will attach to the Company or its servants or agents arising out of or in connection
with or in relation to this brochure or any such advice. Any goods supplied by the Company will be supplied solely
upon its standard conditions of sale, copies of which are available on request. The Company's policy of continuous
product development and improvement renders specifications liable to modification. Information provided in this
brochure is therefore subject to change without prior notification.
Printed on material approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) who provide a means of assuring that
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PC20655
www.aco.co.uk
If you want to finish your drive with
block paving, and you don’t want to
go through the time and expense of
obtaining planning permission, either
the surface must be permeable (ie it
will let the rain through to soak into
the ground beneath) or you must
install a method of trapping the
surface water and letting it soak away
elsewhere on your property.
The result of this is that two thirds of
front gardens in some cities have
been wholly or partly paved over. So
rainfall is no longer soaked up by the
front garden but runs onto the street
and into the public drainage system.
As part of their overall strategy for
dealing with excess surface water the
government have changed the rules
to limit this unrestricted flow.
The new planning regulations and your drive
ACO Build
Channels
ACO HexDrain®
What Are Your Options?
ACO HexDrain® is manufactured from
recycled polypropylene and is suitable
for a range of domestic applications.
Its range of innovative features makes
channel installation easier than ever.
If you want a block-paved surface you
can select from the full range of styles
and colours available by installing a
channel drainage system to prevent the
water from running off your property.
ACO HexDrain® Pro is a high quality
recycled polypropylene channel
drainage system for applications up to
medium duty.
Product features:
ACO’s HexDrain® range offers the
choice of a traditional grated channel,
with various grating options, or the
new ACO HexDrain® Brickslot, which
will drain your drive through a
discreet slot which is hardly
noticeable on the surface.
Quick and easy to install
Unique variable outlet position
Choice of gratings
Full range of accessories
Polymer concrete version available –
ACO RainDrain”
Suitable for large drives and paved
areas
Heelguard grating suitable for
pedestrian traffic
HexDrain® Pro is certified up to BS
EN 1433:2002 Load Class C 250,
making it ideal for private drives that
will occasionally carry
a slow moving
commercial
vehicle.
This type of surface helps to reduce
the risk of potholes, rutting or grass
damage.
The system is exceptionally
lightweight and strong, making it easy
and quick to install, and suitable for a
wide range of applications including
paths, drives, parking areas and
access routes.
ACO GroundGuard is manufactured
from 100% recycled polyethylene and
provides a lightweight ground
reinforcement system for grass or
gravel stabilisation.
Available in widths of 100mm,
150mm & 200mm
Polymer concrete version available –
ACO RainDrain® Pro
Ideal for stabilising grass or gravel
Eliminates risk of potholes, rutting or
grass damage
Quick and easy to install
It’s important to note that Building
Regulations Section H3 states that
ACO StormTank used as a soakaway
should be installed at minimum 5
metres away from any building line
(e.g. foundations).
All of the products mentioned above
are featured in this leaflet.
Ideal for domestic threshold drainage
Compatible with all current slab and
block paving up to 60mm
ACO StormTank uses the latest
technology in stormwater control.
This lightweight modular cell system
is designed for many applications
including car parking in landscaped
and trafficked areas.
Product features:
Easy and quick to install
Unobtrusive slot detail
Typically will drain over 150m²
Manufactured from 100% recycled
materials
Easy and quick to install
Unique variable outlet position
All you need in one pack for a single
garage door
Ideal solution for paths, drives, parking
areas and access routes
Parking space markers available
100% recycled
Manufactured from recyclable plastic,
ACO StormTank is easy to handle and
quick to install. Its high void ratio
reduces the cost associated with
traditional soakaways.
ACO HexDrain® Brickslot provides a
discreet slot drainage system for
domestic block paving installation
and threshold drainage.
Product features:
Correctly fitted, ACO GroundGuard
has been certified to 250 tonnes per
square metre, more than enough
for almost any application.
Can satisfy heavy duty parking
applications
Provides surface water drainage
Use with ACO Stabilisation Fabric
ACO StormTank
Ideal for DIY installations, the
practical, easy-to-use ACO HexDrain®
Garage Pack contains 3 x 1m lengths
of channel with black plastic gratings,
all necessary accessories, and full
printed installation instructions.
A range of innovative features and
accessories, such as the corner unit
for maintenance access, completes
the system.
If you don’t want a rain garden, or if its
capacity wouldn’t be enough, you can
create concealed storage with the ACO
StormTank system. This will be
designed to retain rainfall when it
occurs and release it later into the
surrounding ground at a controlled rate.
A correctly designed system can take
the weight of a vehicle, so could be
installed under your drive, with minimal
impact on the rest of your property.
In addition, ACO GroundGuard is over
90% porous, reducing the rate of
surface water run-off and saving cost
on unnecessary drainage installation.
Product features:
Channel design improves flow velocity,
promotes self cleansing
Made from 100% recycled materials
ACO HexDrain® Garage Pack
The highly successful 1m ACO
HexDrain® channel has been
combined with a new offset slot cover
to create ACO HexDrain® Brickslot,
specifically designed for slab and
block paving.
The ACO HexDrain range is compatible
with all currently available brands of
block paving up to 60mm thick.
Available accessories include a
sump and gully unit for
connection to underground
drainage, foul air trap, and
universal endcap.
Product features:
Typically will drain over 150m²
Friction-fit, anti-shunt grating
ACO HexDrain® Brickslot
®
ACO GroundGuard
The high strength 1m black plastic
channel has integral edge rails for
improved strength. It features black
gratings with ACO’s Drainlock™
boltless locking, while its hexagonal
structure provides exceptional
strength and rigidity but keeps weight
to a minimum.
A full range of accessories is
available to complete the
installation.
A choice of three gratings completes
the system; black plastic (supplied as
standard), metallic effect plastic and
galvanised steel, providing a range of
application finishes.
Or you could have a traditional
looking drive of block paving or
asphalt and treat the surface water
run off separately.
Once you’ve stopped the water
running off your property you need to
control its storage and release. In its
simplest form you can run the water
to an open feature such as a rain
garden if you have enough space and
are sure it will cope with the water
running off your drive.
ACO HexDrain® Pro
This high quality, high strength
channel system is available in
lightweight 1 metre units, making ACO
HexDrain® quick and easy to install.
You could finish your drive with ACO
GroundGuard, a porous grid system
which allows almost all rainwater
through. ACO GroundGuard is ideally
suited for a hardstanding for a car in
front of your house and can be filled
with either turf or gravel to give the
effect you want.
If you have a larger drive and need to
deal with more rainwater, ACO
HexDrain® Pro offers you the ideal
solution. It combines ACO HexDrain®’s
technological benefits and ease of
installation with higher loadings and
drainage capacity. It’s also now
available in new widths of 150mm and
200mm for very large drives.
Ground Reinforcement and Soakaways
Complemented by a wide range of
accessories, the ACO StormTank
range provides all associated
materials and connections necessary
for a trouble-free, fast installation.
ACO StormTank’s range of depths
means it can be used to form a
stormwater storage unit
suitable for the capacity
required, soil conditions,
and available area.
Product features:
Typically will drain over 150m²
Friction-fit, anti-shunt grating
Includes accessories
Manufactured from 100% recycled
materials
Can be easily connected to a drainage
channel to provide a sustainable
drainage system
Allows the slow release of stormwater
back into the surrounding ground
Minimal excavation required
Suitable for car parking applications
100% recyclable
Pre-wrapped tank available to order